Communities and police ‘let down’ as PCSO numbers plummet

Figures from police workforce data show that in September 2010 there were 314 PCSOs serving across South Yorkshire but that figure plummeted to just 107 in September last year – a fall of 66 per cent.

Forces say PCSOs play a key role in liaising between local communities and the police and provide an important visible, accessible, and approachable uniformed presence.

John Healey, Labour MP for Wentworth and Dearne, said: “It’s shocking to see that we’ve lost around two-thirds of our vital PCSOs because the government has failed to come up with a proper plan for the police workforce.

“Our communities and our police are being let down as the Tories have spent the last decade cutting back our neighbourhood policing teams.

“While the Conservatives take a back seat and blame local forces when things go wrong, Labour will lead with a clear mission to raise confidence in every police force and build back neighbourhood policing across the country with 13,000 more officers and PCSOs in our neighbourhoods.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We have delivered our commitment to recruit 20,000 additional police officers by March 2023, and there are now over 149,000 officers in England and Wales, more than the previous peak before the police uplift in 2010.

“Decisions about frontline policing are for Chief Constables and locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners. They are best placed to make decisions on neighbourhood policing approaches, working with their communities and based on their local knowledge and experience.”